Video+Tall+Tales

This page is the teacher Demo presented by Teralyn Cohn on June 14th.

=Video Tall Tales=

This teacher demo utilizes digital cameras, PhotoStory3, music and narration in development of a tall tale. The detailed lesson plan is attached. A podcast is coming soon.



What is a Tall Tale?
In the first half of the 19th century, America was undergoing rapid change. Would the frontier spirit, closely associated with the American character at the time, disappear with the frontier itself? Tall tales harked back to an era of rugged individualism. What is gained and what is lost when a frontier disappears?

During the late 20th century, America was once again undergoing rapid change. Who could be our contemporary tall tale heroes?

As an example of a literary genre, tall tales will exhibit some of the following characteristics, to which you should introduce your students ahead of time in list format: Link to site containing a collection of tall tales, urban legends, etc. [|American Folklore]
 * 1) The main character accomplishes great feats using strength, skill and wits.
 * 2) The main character is helped by a powerful object or animal.
 * 3) The story starts when the hero is a child (e.g., Pecos Bill falls off a wagon and is adopted by wolves, Davy Crockett kills a bear at age three).
 * 4) The author uses exaggeration and humor; the hero brags but also makes fun of him/herself.
 * 5) The story explains how some familiar things began (e.g., Pecos Bill invents the lariat and creates the Grand Canyon).
 * 6) The hero has a colorful way of speaking.
 * 7) The hero has one or more companions (e.g., Pecos Bill's wife, Mike Fink's friends, Johnny Appleseed's animals).
 * 8) Famous people and places show up in the story.
 * 9) The hero has problems with nature, people and/or progress.
 * 10) The hero tries hard to be a good person but sometimes fails.
 * 11) The hero does not like what others call progress (e.g., the steamboat spells the end of the keel boatmen in the story of Mike Fink, the tall tale hero moves because of a neighbor five miles away). More often than not, the hero dies or disappears.

//After reviewing tall tales, you and a partner will write a contemporary tall tale of your own with the following requirements:

¤ Hero/Heroine ¤ Secondary Character ¤ Setting Description ¤ Background of Character ¤ Conflict ¤ 2 Exaggerations (Hyperbole) ¤ 10 images ¤ Music ¤ Narration ¤ Resolution
 * Tall Tale Project Requirements**//

Day 2 of Teacher Demo - Photo Story
We used the 2nd Day to incoporate our tall tale and the pictures we took into a digital story. We used Photo Story (instructions attached).

- Photo Story How to written by Robin Surland - USD 259

This lesson was previously taught to 10th graders. Here are examples of their work.



Here are examples of SCKWP submissions.